I thought about mentioning that too. Ever since Cooper DeJean left for the NFL after the 2023 season, Iowa's DB's have not been performing at their usual elite level.
I was going to mention that the Iowa secondary is not up to snuff with their past greatness at this time.
I agree with both comments that the Iowa secondary has not been at the elite level they had been in 2023 and prior years, however, despite giving up 330 yards passing to Rutgers, I saw Kaliakmanis throwing elite passes into extremely close coverage, and starting late in the 2nd quarter, Iowa started to slow the passing game down until Iowa captured that late interception. My assessment is that despite giving up all that yardage, by the second half the Iowa secondary was becoming an elite unit. Iowa gave up only one score in the second half.
Rutgers may be the most precise passing team in the Big Ten, but Indiana’s aerial attack is arguably more explosive—stretching defenses vertically and punishing hesitation. What makes this matchup especially daunting for Iowa is that Indiana doesn’t just throw the ball well — they run it with equal or more alarming authority.
Phil Parker’s defense is elite, no question. If anyone can scheme a way to slow down Indiana’s rhythm, it’s him. But defensive brilliance has limits when the offense it supports can’t sustain drives or flip field position. We’ve seen this before —
Ohio State last year comes to mind. Iowa’s defense held firm early, but the burden of being the only functioning unit eventually cracked the foundation. When one of the three sub-teams (offense, defense, special teams) is carrying the others, its solo excellence becomes unsustainable.
Unless Iowa finds a way to consistently move the ball against Indiana’s defense—which is fast, physical, and disciplined, this game risks becoming another slow unraveling. The margin for error is razor-thin, and Indiana’s balance on offense means Iowa can’t afford to be reactive. They’ll need to dictate tempo, not just survive it.
